National Shelter has partnered with CHOICE and the National Association of Tenants’ Organisations to call for governments to prioritise rental security and quality issues, alongside housing affordability, as a national study reveals widespread fear and discrimination faced by thousands of Australians.

The report was released on 16 February 2017 and literally millions of people engaged with the story via Twitter, newsites, and broadcast media stories. The hashtag #RentInOz trended on Twitter. With one third of Australain households renting (up from 25% a decade ago) rental affordability, accessibility and quality are growing concerns.

“Governments across Australia are rightly focused on the issue of housing affordability. Affordability is extremely important to renters, but it can’t be addressed without also looking at the quality and security of housing.” said Adrian Pisarski, National Shelter’s Executive Officer.

“It’s hard to imagine a product or service this poor in any other sector. As consumers of rental properties, tenants have to deal with major quality issues like mould or flooding and are systematically denied access to a timely remedy,” said Alan Kirkland, CHOICE CEO .

“Worringly, we found that renters with more experience in the market were less likely to complain when something goes wrong which illustrates the entrenched culture of fear among renters. This is all the more of a concern when you consider the rising number of long-term renters across Autralia,” said Ned Cutcher, National Association of Tenants’ Organisations spokesperson.

Key findings

83% of renters in Australia have no fixed-term lease or are on a lease less than 12 months long

62% of people say they feel like they can’t ask for changes

50% of renters report experiencing discrimination when applying for a rental property

50% of renters worried about being listed on a residential tenancy database